Teenaged girl commits suicide in TN

Udhagamandalam: A tenth standard girl student allegedly committed suicide by setting herself ablaze, reportedly over sexual harassment at a private school near here, where she was studying, police said.

The 15-year-old student, who was staying in the hostel had returned to her house in Kothagiri last evening, doused herself with kerosene and set herself afire when the parents had gone out, police said.

Some locals saw the fire and broke open the front door and immediately took her to Kothagiri Government Hospital, from where she was referred to a Coimbatore hospital where she succumbed to burns this morning, police said.

The relatives of the girl and residents of the area resorted to road block on Conoor-Kothagiri road for two hours, demanding that those behind the alleged sexual harassment be arrested immediately. The complained that many girl students were subjected to sexual harassment in the school.

A teacher was dismissed from the school some eight months ago, following complaints by two girl students about sexual harassment.